Bob Bakish, CEO of Channel 5’s parent company Viacom, said: “We continue to do reality programming all around the world and I don't think it says anything about Big Brother broadly speaking, this is a decision we made based on the evolution of Channel 5 which again is a multi-year process we've been on.

“A place where we're getting traction on the original programming side and where we thought it was right. I don't want that to be interpreted as any kind of broader judgement on Big Brother. Again it was the right decision for us for this marketplace.”

In a tweet on Friday night, they wrote: “The forthcoming series of Big Brother will be the last - of either celebrity or civilian versions - on Channel 5.

"We’d like to thank Endemol and all of the production team who have worked tirelessly to make the show a success.”

MOST READ IN TV & SHOWBIZ

JUICE FANTASTIC

THE HARDEST WORD

MEG MY DAY

Meghan's event was a sign to her new family she's not changing her way of life

host with the most

Who are the Oscars 2019 presenters?

STAR ROMANCE

The lowdown on the new series of Celebs Go Dating on E4...

SPOONFUL OF MUSIC

Here are the Oscars 2019 Best Soundtrack nominees and latest winner odds

Speaking to the Broadcasting Press Guild, Bob added: “We thought the time was right to take the next step and that included taking that Big Brother money essentially and spending it on original commissions as we continue to raise the profile of the network.”

After winning Channel of the Year at Edinburgh TV Festival this year and a Bafta for Cruising with Jane McDonald, Bob added that the channel wanted to compete with the BBC.

Adding: “We’re a public service broadcaster and that means competing with everyone, including the BBC.”